


all the things i hoped for and all the things that were

by nymphadoracrashedthetardis



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-07
Updated: 2017-06-18
Packaged: 2018-10-29 04:01:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10846065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nymphadoracrashedthetardis/pseuds/nymphadoracrashedthetardis
Summary: The in-between moments are always sweetest // A series of one-shots originally posted on tumblr





	1. oh Teddy, Teddy, Teddy

**Author's Note:**

> I've always thought that posting works solely to tumblr was foolhardy, and yet, there I was, doing it myself.
> 
> No more! 
> 
> Here are the oneshots I posted on my tumblr, @littlegreenwomen, and here will be the oneshots that I will write from now on. Better font, better organisation, better editing, a happier Ela. 
> 
> Fic number one set pre-4x13, The Audit.

They find out about the audit at a Wednesday morning meeting. The Captain’s at this one, and when he walks in, Amy sits up a little straighter. He stands to the side until Sarge is finished briefing their cases, and Amy watches him from the corner of her eye the entire time. Jake will probably tease her about it later, but some things about her will never change: she is eager to please. When Terry finishes his briefing, Holt takes the podium and speaks.

 

“Before you all go, I have some news regarding the future of this precinct. As you know, other precincts have been audited and sometimes, downsized, recently, and the Nine-Nine will be next.”

 

A murmur grows across the room.

 

“Please be advised that nothing is set in stone. I only ask you not to panic, and to continue your work as usual. Dismissed.”

 

Terry speaks up again as the squad makes to leave. “Actually, before you go, you should probably know who the auditor’s gonna be,” Everyone slinks back down to their chairs. “It’s Teddy Wells, formerly of the Eight-Six.” Amy freezes slightly in her seat in front of Jake. Charles gasps softly.

 

“You don’t think he’ll shut down the precinct because of his history with Amy, do you?”

 

Gina looks aghast. “And I thought that if anyone’s sex life would be the downfall of this precinct, it would be mine.” Rosa nods. 

 

Amy looks scandalized and turns in her seat to face them. “He’s  _ not  _ going to do that. He’s a reasonable guy. Plus, we’re been broken up for two years.”

 

“It  _ was  _ a messy breakup though.” Charles gives her a pitying look.

 

“How would you know? You weren’t even there.”

 

“No, but Jake was.”

 

“Jake!”

 

At the front, the Captain’s eyes are trained to the ceiling. Amy wants to sink into the floor.

 

Beside her, Jake is defensive. “I was name-dropped in a breakup. I had to talk to someone about it.”

 

“Yeah, Amy.” Charles says. 

 

Amy sighs and raises her hand, ready to retort. Terry stops her.

 

“Settle down. We’re all professionals here, and we’ll all act as such. Got it?” Amy nods primly. Charles leans over to whisper to Jake the moment Terry and Holt leave.

 

“I’m still on your side here, Jake.”

 

* * *

 

 

Jake, having known and worked with Amy for nearly a decade, knows her pretty well. He knows that her nostrils always flare when someone talks to her when she’s hungry, that a lack of appetite means she’s been under intense stress for days, that bitten nails mean she’s been under stress for more, and that nervous leg shaking means she’s ready to slip up and start smoking again. Therefore, he can read from her that morning cues that she does not want to see her ex again.

 

“I don’t want to see my ex again,” she says.

 

(He’s a pretty good detective.)

 

“I thought you said it’d be civil?”

 

Amy leans forward towards the centre of their desks. “I’m sure it will be, but it’s still weird, you know?”

 

Terry walks by their desks holding a folder. He’s been patrolling the bullpen all morning, trying to keep the officers calm as they waited for the auditor to arrive. “Relax, Amy. This’ll probably be good for you two. It’s healthy to have a talk after a breakup. Maybe you’ll learn something.”

 

Jake scoffs at him. “God, who  _ does  _ that?”

 

“ _ I’ve  _ done that.” Terry says.

 

“If I ever see any of my exes,” Jake says. “I will go running the other way.” Amy nods. Terry sighs.

 

“Well, don’t worry anyways. You’ll be fine.”

 

“Yeah, especially since you’ve basically won this breakup.” He gestures to himself. Amy eyes his jam-stained shirt and takes a controlled breath.

 

“Does that even matter two years after the fact?” she asks.

 

“Oh, Ames, it  _ always _ matters. And trust me, no part of his life can be better than yours right now.”

 

“Stop complimenting yourself,  _ damn _ .” Gina calls from her desk. 

 

* * *

 

When Teddy finally does arrive, shortly before lunch, Amy is conveniently out on a case with Charles. She wasn’t assigned to it to begin with, but after spending a full half hour seeing her nibbling on a pencil, Charles dragged her out with him. She doesn’t fight him and he is glad. His face still hurts from wincing at her.

 

Jake watches Teddy exit the elevator with another smartly dressed man, cross the room, and be welcomed into Holt’s office from the window in the copy room. The door to Holt’s office is closed but the blinds aren’t, and Jake watches the backs of their heads through the slots in the window until Rosa comes in.

 

“So, are you gonna get all jealous because Teddy’s around?” she asks.

 

Jake scoffs. “Jealous because the guy my girlfriend of two years broke up with  _ years _ ago is here? Uh, no.” He isn’t lying. Teddy’s being there is making him uneasy, but his past with Amy has nothing to do with it.

 

(Little to do with it, anyway. The last he saw of Teddy, the other man was blaming his failed relationship on him. It was a stressful moment for all involved.)

 

“Good. That macho man stuff is overrated.”

 

Jake hums. “It’s kinda weird. I told Amy it was gonna be fine but I was lying. Like, should I ignore him? I should at least say hello, right?”

 

Rosa studies him. “Does he even know you’re with Amy?”

 

“I have no clue actually.”

 

“Huh.”

 

They’re both quiet for a minute. Jake opens up the copier he was using, and grabs his sheets. They’re cold by now, and he considers making one more copy to feel the warmth of the paper.

 

(Just a little quirk of Amy’s that rubbed off on him, but he wasn’t about to go around advertising it.)

 

“You don’t think they’ll downsize us, do you?” Jake asks Rosa. Rosa’s face is neutral, but there’s a bit of a strain in her shoulders and back.

 

“I hope not.”

 

“I’d make a terrible auditor. You know that, right?”

 

“They’re not going to make you an auditor, Jake.”

 

“Right. That would be stupid.”

 

“Incredibly.” Rosa walks away. Jake waits a moment and listens to her heels on the tile floor get quieter, then presses a copier button for one more copy. The machine whirls to life.

 

* * *

 

Jake finally makes contact with Teddy in the break room later that day. Jake’s sitting in there, nursing a hot chocolate from a mix he found at the back of a cupboard in the kitchen. It only tasted  _ sort of _ stale.

 

“Hey.” Teddy’s standing in the doorway, tall as ever and dressed in civilian clothes. 

 

“Hey.” Jake doesn’t hold his gaze and instead toys with the stir stick in his mug. Teddy clears his throat.

 

“Do you mind-” he motions at the table.

 

“Go ahead.” Teddy nods. The chair shrieks as it’s pulled against the floor. Jake counts to three before making his excuses to leave. One, two-

 

“So- how’ve you been?”

 

Jake stays seated and runs his fingers along the handle of his mug. “Oh, you know, same old, same old.” Teddy’s mouth quirks. Jake imagines being absorbed by the tiled floor. “Sorry to hear about the Eight-Six. That sucks.”

 

_ That sucks. _ Jake wants to kick himself.

 

Teddy doesn’t seem to mind. “Thanks, it was hard, but it was for the best, in the end. I hope I don’t have to see it happen to this place, though. You guys have a good team here.”

 

Despite his nerves, the corners of Jake’s mouth turn up. “Thanks.” There is a moment and a half where neither of them speaks. Jake can hear his own breathing, and hope it’s only loud to his ears. “What do you mean, it was for the best?” he asks.

 

Teddy clears his throat. “Well, maybe not for the best, exactly, but it turned out well for me.” He smiles. “You see, my, uh, girlfriend and I had a baby three months ago. Here she is,” he shows Jake a photo of the baby on his phone background. Jake  _ aww _ ’s softly. “And, well, getting out of the field is giving me more time with my daughter.”

 

“That’s why you didn’t request a transfer to a new squad?”

 

“Yeah. Auditing’s boring as hell, but it’s not forever, and it’s worth it for now, you know?”

 

Jake nods, even though, no, he doesn’t fully understand, not yet.

 

“Are you and Amy planning for one soon?”

 

“I- uh-”

 

“Relax, Jake, me and Amy were done a long time ago. I’m not mad or anything anymore.”

 

“Yeah. Right. I just- didn’t know that you knew about us.”

 

“Yeah, well, word got around. Can’t say I was surprised.”

 

Teddy’s voice isn’t full of venom this time, not like when they were at the Maple Drip Inn and the worst breakup of his life was being witnessed by another couple. He looks unsure, and awkward, but his smile his genuine and his eyes are kind. Jake tells Amy all about it on the drive home.

 

“His eyes were kind?” she asks, wincing.

 

“Well, I-uh, you know what I mean. He was civil after all.”

 

“I told you so.”

 

“I know.”

 

Teddy and his partner had gone to another floor by the time Amy and Charles had returned to the precinct. He would be back again every day for the rest of the week, but Amy was calmed for the moment. Back in the car, she drums her fingers on the steering wheel. “Wow, so Teddy has a baby, huh?”

 

“Yeah. He showed me a picture, she’s super cute.”

 

“God, I can’t even imagine having a baby right now.”

 

“I know. We could both be unemployed by next week.” Jake looks out the window and bites his thumbnail. Amy’s voice is softer when she speaks next.

 

“We’ll be fine, Jake. Even if we’re downsized, other departments are hiring all the time. We’ll make our way back eventually.”

 

“Like Holt.”

 

“Like Holt.” Amy looks over at Jake at a red light and smiles. 

 

“Plus, we can do all the things we wanted to do but don’t have time for if we get desk jobs,” Jake says. “Like get a cat and teach it tricks.”

 

“We’re not teaching a cat to poop in a toilet, Jake.”

 

Jake smiles and the corners of his eyes crinkle. The hot ball of stress over losing his dream job is still there at the bottom of his stomach, but the gentle hum of the engine and Amy’s laughter as they list off things they’d do if they had the time slowly settles his nerves. The uncertainty of the audit is still there, but there is something exhilarating about facing it with Amy.


	2. mt. rosa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set pre-4x13, The Audit.

It was the second time in less than three months that Rosa Diaz has found herself in the waiting room of a hospital, and frankly, she was getting quite tired of it.

 

(Granted, this time she wasn’t there because one of her  _ best friends _ and possibly  _ the love of her life _ was just hit by a goddamn  _ bus _ and was  _ barely holding on _ , but that didn’t make this trip any more pleasant.)

 

At any other point of her life, Rosa would rage, and she would find someone to blame and yell at them until she felt better. 

 

_ However. _

 

Lately Rosa’s been looking into becoming Sergeant soon, which was all good and fine, but  _ apparently _ , most precincts prefered a Sergeant who didn’t spontaneously fly into fits of rage.

 

(For whatever reason.)

 

So Rosa’s been acting like a reasonable adult lately, and it’s been seriously stressing her out.

 

_ So, _ if she were to get down to the root of this incident, like a reasonable person who thinks things through, she would determine it was Amy’s fault, because Amy just didn’t know how to leave well enough alone. 

 

Take the day before, at the precinct: a quiet day, Rosa was enjoying some mixed fruit in the break room (quietly), no one had given her a headache yet (because it was  _ quiet _ ).

 

“Hey, Rosa, love your boots, where’d you get them?”

 

And then Amy came along.

 

Rosa stared at her. “What do you want?”

 

Amy’s shoulders deflated and she sat down across from her. “How do you always know?” she muttered. “I need a huge, huge favour. You know mine and Jake’s housewarming party tomorrow?”

 

Rosa nodded once. She couldn’t forget about it. Amy had handed out handwritten invitations on a soft off-white paper that Rosa, admittedly, really liked, a couple of weeks before, and then Jake had proceeded to send them all a mass reminder text a week before the party. They had been living together for over two months now, but put off their housewarming party until Gina was up and walking again after her accident. It was nice of them, really, and Rosa knew they truly wanted Gina there, but she suspected fear of Gina Linetti was a big reason for putting it off. 

 

Gina was pissed enough that her medication prevented her from drinking for the next two weeks, they didn’t need an enraged Gina with a major fear of missing out.

 

“Well,” Amy continued. “Jake has been working  _ really _ hard helping me plan it, and he’s doing  _ so _ well, but I’m afraid that with all the details he’s focused on, he’ll be too preoccupied to enjoy the party.”

 

Rosa blinked.

 

Amy broke. “Okay, he’s driving me freaking crazy and I need you to keep him off my back tomorrow night.”

 

“There it is.”

 

“I mean I love him, but I made the mistake of putting him in charge of decorations because I thought he’d just go out and get some fresh flowers. Which he  _ did _ , by the way, and they’re lovely. But now he keeps nervously rearranging furniture and-”

 

“I didn’t ask for the story.” Rosa stabbed a blueberry with her fork, right down the middle.  _ Ah ha! _

 

“Right. Just- keep him busy during the party so he doesn’t do something stupid out of anxiety.”

 

So there Rosa was, dressed in her fancier black sweater and her shoes that clicked, but like, in a threatening way, walking up the stairs to the Santiago-Peralta apartment to a party she had already been assigned a job for.

 

Jake ambushed her the moment she entered the apartment.

 

“Rosa’s here!” he called out. Behind him, there was already small groups of people mingling in the living room. “Looking good, love your hair, let me take your coat.”

 

“What do you want?” she said through gritted teeth.

 

“What?” Jake voice was piercing-high. “Who says I want anything?”

 

“Me. Now spill.”

 

“Kayso, Amy’s  _ super  _ stressed out right now and-”

 

“And you want her to relax and to stop doing whatever it is she’s doing that’s bothering you.”

 

“You read my mind. This, this is why you’re one of my best friends.”

 

Rosa shrugged off her coat and hung it up in the hall closet before walking off to join the crowd. Gina was already there, standing to the side talking to Sharon, and Rosa wanted to go remind her to sit and take the weight off her leg. Jake grabbed her arm and tugged her back.

 

“Wait, no, say you’ll do it. She’s worrying she’s not fun enough and keeps changing the music and saying really weird things.”

 

Rosa considered him. “Fine. But you owe me one.”

 

“Deal!”

 

And if that had been the end of that, Rosa maybe would have been able to avoid seeing the hospital for another few months, but she just  _ had  _ to enter the kitchen in search of a new bottle of wine at the exact moment Charles was in there fiddling with a platter of appetizers.

 

“Rosa, I can explain-”

 

“Please don’t.”

 

Charles did anyway. “Food is the soul of any party, and as much as I love Jake and Amy, their party has no soul and is going to wither and kill us all.”

 

“Yeah, but they bought the fancy appetizers so it’s fine.”

 

“ _ I  _ brought those. When I got here, all they had was shrimp, cheese, and mini hotdogs. And a really sad veggie platter. I’m doing the Lord’s work here, Rosa.”

 

“Then why are you hiding?”

 

“I told Jake his mini hotdogs were good and he looked so excited, and now I have to reverse his mistakes before he finds out they were undercooked. Make sure neither of them enter the kitchen for the next forty minutes, okay?”

 

“I’m not doing that.”

 

Charles pointed his spatula at her face. “You owe me one.” Rosa swatted it away, but he had a point. He and Genevieve watched Arlo for a full week last month when Rosa was away at her sister’s wedding.

 

“Fine.” She turned her heel,  _ clicked _ away from the kitchen, and let the headache begin.

 

First, Jake’s uncharacteristic nervousness was causing him to jump from room to room in a micromanaging fit. Rosa, truth be told, wasn’t paying much attention to him at first. She was watching Gina out of the corner of her eye, in the same way she suspected the whole squad was nowadays. But then Rosa saw Jake making a beeline for the kitchen, and she shoved her plate of breaded shrimp into Scully’s hands to intercept him.

 

“You can’t go into the kitchen.” She grabbed him roughly by the shoulders and turned him around to face the living room.

 

“Why not? I have to help Charles, he’s been heating up all the frozen food for us.”

 

Rosa thought back to the sink full of mixing bowls. “You have to stay out here,” she leaned in closer to whisper. “It’s rude to leave your guests out here.”

 

Jake stiffened up. “Oh god, you’re right. Thanks, Rosa.” He sped away to greet more guests. That would keep him away for about another ten minutes. Rosa’s eyes scanned the dining room for Amy. Beyond the crowd in her reading nook, she was fiddling with CD rack next to her speakers. 

 

“Oh, no you don’t,” Rosa muttered. She stomped through the tables and mingling guests, pausing briefly to snatch Gina’s fresh glass of wine away from her, pulled Amy away from the bookshelves, and held the glass up to her lips. “Drink this, relax, stop fidgeting.”

 

“I was changing the music!” 

 

“The music’s fine. Go enjoy your guests.” She didn’t stay around long enough to watch Amy’s pout.

 

_ Goodness. _

 

* * *

 

Karen Peralta, who Rosa had not seen in years, was currently into painting clay pots, the care and keeping of toads, and was dating a man named Carl Jake didn’t seem to mind. Rosa  _ would  _ have- and would like to have- learned more had it not been for Karen’s obnoxious son’s voice ringing out from across the room.

 

“I mean, who hasn’t had gay thoughts every once in awhile?” 

 

Rosa sighed and resisted the urge to break the stem off her glass and hurl it straight at Jake’s head. “Excuse me a moment,” she said to Karen. She stomped over before Jake had a chance to interrogate his guests about the nature of their sexualities.

 

“Jake, your mother wants to see you.” He couldn’t embarrass himself in front of his mother. 

 

_ As much _ .

 

Rosa walked him back to where Karen was leaning against the windowsill and took a swing of her wine. She was about to ask Karen about her clay pots when Gina walked by, limping slightly, towards the cheese platter. Rosa  _ tutted _ and sauntered over to her.

 

“Go,  _ sit down. _ You’ve been standing for ages.”

 

“I’m fine, Rosa. I just want some cheese.”

 

“Where are your crutches?”

 

“ _ God. _ ”

 

“ _ Gina. _ ” 

 

Gina narrowed her eyes. Rosa stared her down. “Fine,” Gina said. “I’ll sit. Bring me some of that gouda, though.”

 

Rosa piled a spotted blue dessert plate with the cheeses- gouda included- and some crackers that looked suspiciously like Vegetable Thins, and had barely had enough time to hand it to Gina before noticing Amy sneak into the kitchen.

 

“ _ Damn, _ ” she muttered. “Stay sitting,” she told Gina before rushing off to get Amy.

 

Inside the kitchen, there was no disaster to be seen, but Amy was pouring vegetable oil into a baking pan and throwing in frozen spring rolls. Rosa stared at her in disgust.  _ Where was Charles? _

 

“Amy, why are you in here and not with your guests?”

 

“Oh, I just need to send the next round of food out. I’ll be right there!” She opened the oven to put the spring rolls inside and the smell of spinach wafted out. There was a quiche inside - Charles’ work. “What’s this?”

 

“Jake must’ve bought it,” Rosa muttered. “Here,  _ I’ll _ do that, you go enjoy your party.” She took the pan from Amy’s hands and shooed her back out into the dining room. The spring rolls in the pan were starting to get soggy. 

 

Charles returned. “What are you holding?”

 

“Amy got to them.” She shoved the pan into Charles’ arms and left. “You can fry them up or something now.” Charles shrugged.

 

_ Back to the party again _ . They were all out of the kitchen, Gina was sitting down, Amy was talking to Kevin, Jake was-

 

Jake was showing the kids his dart board.

 

“I don’t really have much games here, except for Amy’s giant puzzles which are  _ super _ difficult, but this is fun too,” he explained. “See? Just throw them and whoever hits the centre wins.”

 

_ “No _ , Jake.” Rosa snatched the board and pointy darts from his grasp. The children whined. “You guys can go watch TV in Amy and Jake’s room if you promise to stop that.” They quieted down.

 

“Rosa, I’m trying to secure my place as cool uncle-slash-godfather.”

 

“You can do that without them poking their eyes out,” she motioned down the hall. “Go find them something age-appropriate to watch.” Jake huffed but marched down the hallway regardless, four children following him like little ducklings.

 

_ Jesus. _ She needed more alcohol.

 

Now. They were all out of the kitchen, Gina was sitting down, Amy was talking to Kevin, Jake was occupied. Rosa took a breath, composed herself, took another breath, refilled her glass, and went to talk to Terry and one of Amy’s younger brothers.

 

“Rosa, right?” Amy’s brother Chris asked. Rosa gave him a nod.

 

“Chris here was just telling me about some new equipment his squad got.”

 

“Oh, cool, you’re a cop too?” Rosa could see Amy move away from Kevin out the corner of her eye. 

 

_ Don’t you dare. _

 

Rosa didn’t outwardly react, and instead nodded politely at Amy’s brother as he spoke.

 

“Yeah, in Boston.”  _ Amy was now moving through the crowd. _ “We actually recently got the funding for a task force,”  _ Amy was approaching the kitchen.  _ “And with it, we’re testing out these really cool goggles that-”  _ Amy was entering the kitchen _ .

 

Rosa’s blood boiled. Her feet were rooted in place, because she was  _ trying  _ to learn to stay calm, but Terry and Chris and the whole room faded from view. All she could see was Amy. Amy and the entrance to the kitchen. Amy meddling in things she shouldn’t meddle in. 

 

Rosa did nothing but stare her down, clutching her glass harder and harder.

 

Will she ever stop  _ meddling _ ?

 

Rosa’s hand squeezed her glass as if it would tether her to reality, until -

 

_ Crack! _

 

The paper-thin, way too delicate wine glass -honestly, where did they find such cheap glasses? - shattered in her hand and cut into her palm. Terry and Chris jumped. A thin line of blood ran down Rosa’s arm. 

 

“Excuse me,” Rosa said cooly. She stomped off into the kitchen for a rag, muttering under her breath all the way.

 

_ Damnit, Amy. _

 

* * *

 

It was Terry who drove her to the hospital in the end, because Rosa needed stitches and because Jake and Amy didn’t want her dripping blood all over their tablecloths. 

 

_ Babies. _

 

Gina rode in the back of the car, crutches thrown across her lap.

 

“At least you didn’t chuck your glass at her head,” she supplied helpfully. She followed her all the way into the waiting room, handing her more wads of paper towel as she signed in. Rosa glowered. At least Gina was sitting.

 


	3. our plans for after the sun sets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set post-4x13, The Audit.

It’s evening and the springtime sun has just finished setting as Jake and Amy stand side by side at their bathroom mirror, getting ready for bed. They’re in their pyjamas; Jake in a green t-shirt Amy particularly likes, and Amy in a two-piece button down set with little sheep on them. 

 

It has been over two months since the contents of Jake’s meager beauty routine - a lonely SPF moisturizer, the brand of shaving cream that doesn’t irritate his skin, a comb - had permanently joined the contents of what was once Amy’s bathroom, but was now Amy and Jake’s.

 

A proper His - and - Hers bathroom now. Two towels on the rack and everything.

 

(They own nothing monogramed, but Jake’s working on wearing Amy down to getting hand towels with little  _ Js  _ and  _ As  _ on them.

 

She asks him about it once as they stroll through the Bathroom section on their way to Bedding at a department store. “Are you really that against sharing a hand towel with me?” 

 

“No, I just think they’re really fancy.”)

 

Amy has a little timer that counts down from two minutes as she brushes her teeth. It blinks out a pixelated smiley face when the two minutes are up, after which she brushes for an extra thirty seconds, for good measure.

 

“You know, that’s how you ended up with overbrushed teeth the last time.”

 

(Amy keeps brushing anyway.)

 

“So,” Jake says that evening as he carefully combs through his hair. He’s overdue for a haircut and it’s getting harder and harder to style in the mornings. “I was thinking we get Gina one of those really long straws so she can finally stop asking us to hold her cup up for her.”

 

Amy, now done with her two-and-a-half-minute tooth brushing routine, dabs a moisturizer under her eyes with her ring fingers. “Do you know where we can get one before work tomorrow?”

 

“We can stop by the dollar store tomorrow morning. If not, we can tape a bunch of straws together into one super-straw.”

 

“Sounds good.”

 

“You know, I’m so glad Gina’s back and everything can go back to normal now.”

 

Amy hasn’t torn her eyes away from her reflection in the mirror. “Yeah,” she says absently. “Unless the precinct gets shut down.”

 

“We won’t be shut down.”

 

“We might.”

 

“But we can’t, so we won’t.”

 

Satisfied, Amy screws on the lid to her little moisturizer, and Jake fishes out her night creme from her little wicker basket. Grinning slightly, she takes it from him and slathers the rest of her face with two gentle fingers. 

 

Jake runs his toothbrush under the tap and squeezes out the smallest bit of toothpaste he can get away with. Amy’s staring at his reflection and he jams his toothbrush in his mouth before she can scold him.

 

“Hey, Jake?”

 

“Mmhm?”

 

“If I moved on from the Nine-Nine, you’d be okay with that, right?”

 

Jake’s eyebrows raise. “What do you mean?” he mumbled. The toothpaste is beginning to foam in that gross way he hates, and he fights the urge to spit it out before even a minute has passed. 

 

(He’s been trying,  _ really _ .)

 

Amy continues. “I know you see the squad as your family. The rest of us see each other that way too, but - you know we can’t all work together forever, right?”

 

Jake nods, take a moment, and spits out his toothpaste. Amy rolls her eyes as he makes a big deal of rinsing his mouth out. The counter is splashed and soaked in the process. “I know,” he says when his mouth is clean. “Terry’s gonna become lieutenant soon, and Gina’s in school to become… something, and I know you’ve been hiding Sergeant's Exam prep books in the couch cushions.”

 

Amy’s hair is pulled up in a bun, and Jake can see her bare neck tense up. “You know about those?”

 

“It’s where I stash my extra snacks.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Why didn’t you tell me you’re planning on taking the exam soon?”

 

Amy’s shoulders drop, but she turns to meet his eyes. Her voice wavers between uncertainty and steadiness as she speaks.“I don’t know. I just started studying, and I haven’t told anyone about it yet. I feel silly, like, am I even ready yet? And… we have such a good, stable work environment right now, and I’m so reluctant to leave it. I’ve been clinging so much to that lately.” She takes his free hand, loosely resting on the countertop, and strokes it with her thumb in tiny circles. “I think we’ve all been clinging to that lately.”

 

“I guess it’s just a matter of time before we all move on, huh?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Amy’s eye contact begins to be too much and Jake looks away. He takes a breath and leads them out of the bathroom, not switching on the hall lights on his way through the apartment until he reaches their bedroom. “Speaking on moving on, man, that was weird with Teddy.”

 

Amy’s voice rings out in the dimness behind him. “I know. I always expected that I’d be proposed to only once in my life and I’d say yes, and that would be the end of that.” She comes around and helps him ready the bed for sleep. Her pile-  _ their pile _ \- of decorative pillows, now switched to a lighter fabric for spring, goes on the floor at the foot of the bed.

 

“Yeah, no one could’ve seen that coming. But, hey, third time’s the charm, right?”

 

“Right. Just don’t propose in the middle of the street, okay?”

 

“Oh, Ames, even I’m not that bad.”

 

Jake slips under the covers and throws the remaining pillows to the growing pile, missing them slightly. Amy nudges them in place with her bare foot.

 

“That’s another way we’ll all stay together,” she says, standing over the bed. Her fingers just graze the top of the soft comforter. “Being there for all the big moments.”

 

“Our wedding is gonna be the party of the decade.”

 

Amy hums. “Obviously.”

 

“Oh! And the huge party we’re gonna have when you finally become captain.”

 

“And all the kids and birthdays and graduations.”

 

“And all the awards ceremonies.”

 

“And retirements.”

 

“And Gina’s inevitable coronation.”

 

Amy shuts off the light and smiles at Jake’s sitting form in bed, slightly illuminated by the moon’s light. In the semi-darkness he could be twenty, or thirty, or fifty. She pads softly to join him and slips under the heavy blankets, curling up near him. “We have so much to look forward to,” she mumbles into his neck. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing these was so much fun! I'd love to write more, and I'm always accepting prompts on my tumblr, @littlegreenwomen. Come by and prompt me or just stop by to chat!


	4. oh my my my

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A tale of Brooklyn's bravest preteens.
> 
> For startofamoment, from a prompt that's about a hundred years old now.

Later, when they’re both older and grown, and proper detectives with proper resources, and with some composure and emotional maturity, Jake and Amy will cite the Great Book Hunt of ‘91 as their first case as partners to every new cop to grace their precinct.

 

(And in both of their wedding vows. And in the scrapbook Jake will make Amy when she finally makes captain. And in their children’s bedtime stories.

 

Even Charles becomes exasperated by it.)

 

Their partnership began the morning of the Great Book Hunt, one hot July day, when Nana found Jake sitting in front of the TV for the fourth straight hour.

 

“Go outside,” she told him.

 

Which he  _ did _ , and he spent a full three minutes kicking around a pebble down the street and around a corner before turning around and marching towards the Santiago household.

 

With eight kids under the age of fifteen and a horde of cousins and friends in the area - not to mention Mr and Mrs Santiago themselves - there was always someone in the yard, or in a window, or, on one occasion, on the roof. Most days, Jake had to only walk up the block before one of the boys called him over. The Santiago kids were a rowdy, welcoming bunch. He met them two months before, when Gina cancelled their plans  _ again _ and he was hit by a stray spray from a Santiago water gun fight during a lonely walk.

 

Suddenly, he had summer plans, too.

 

The blinds were firmly shut that day, like they had been since the heatwave started, and no sounds came from the house as Jake walked up the little pathway to the front door.   


“Ahh! I’m gonna  _ kill _ all of you!”

 

No sounds, save for one.

 

Jake hopped off the tiny concrete path and ran across the grass, poking his head above the chain link fence separating the messy backyard from the street. It was Amy, Nicholas’s sister, yelling until her voice went hoarse. With her visor teetering precariously on her head, she was tearing the lawn furniture cushions apart and throwing them onto the grass. Behind her, the garden shed was open, spilling bikes and sports equipment onto the lawn.

 

Jake leaned against the fence. “Watcha doing there?” he called to her. 

 

Amy jumped and turned around. Another cushion fell to the grass. 

 

“Oh, it’s you,” she said. She never looked happy nor disappointed to see Jake. “I’m looking for a library book I’m supposed to return today, but one of my  _ stupid brothers  _ hid it somewhere!” She screamed the last part up to the closed windows above them. Jake looked up but no one poked their head out. Amy’s shouting was absorbed by the hot, humid blanket of air.

 

She took a calming breath. “It’s so annoying. It’s not like they ever read the books I recommend, anyway.”

 

“Oh. That sucks.” Jake kicked the chain fence absently. The rattling noise was loud in the empty yard. “You’re making a big mess.”

 

“I know.”

 

“Do you want help cleaning it up?”

 

Amy’s jaw didn’t relax but she still smiled thinly. “Yes, please.”

 

Amy walked over and unlatched the gate. She was about Jake’s height now, and seemed to be getting taller every time Jake saw her. He straightened his back as he walked past, and willed himself to have a quick growth spurt, like,  _ right now. _

 

“So, which one of your brothers took your book?” He picked up a striped cushion and slid it onto the seat of a chair. Amy picked up two and did the same.

 

“I don’t know  _ who _ did it, but I  _ know _ one of them did. They’re always doing stuff like this, it’s so annoying.” She stuffed the final cushion down with a punch.

 

“When did you last see it?”

 

“I finished it yesterday and put it down, and then it disappeared.”

 

“You know,” Jake started slowly. He wasn’t certain if Amy was prone to throwing things in anger, and didn’t want to find out the hard way. “I can find out who took it, if you want.”

 

Amy huffed. “I don’t need your help.” She stomped off to the shed and roughly picked up a green bike and shoved it inside. The sharp screech of metal-on-metal made Jake wince.

 

“I’m smart though! I’ve solved plenty of mysteries.”

 

“Like what?” Amy scoffed. “The case of the missing retainer?”

 

“And - and others!”

 

“I can solve it myself. Besides, my dad’s a cop, so it’s in my blood.” Amy pushed the final bike into the shed and forced the door closed.

 

“Your dad’s a  _ cop _ ? That’s  _ so cool _ , what-”

 

“ _ Not now, _ Jake! Can’t you see I’m busy?”

 

“Okay, fine, but  _ please  _ let me help. Pretty, pretty please? WIth a cherry on top? And a bunch of whipped cream? And-”

 

“ _ Okay _ , you can help! But no goofing off; the book’s due today and we have to focus.” 

 

Jake nodded as seriously as he could and shook her hand. “Deal,” he said. “This is gonna be so fun.”

 

Amy rolled her eyes and walked back into the house. Jake followed her, toeing off his sneakers on the mat by the back door.

 

“We’re gonna need a base first, though,” he called. “Every good investigation has one!” Amy ignored him but didn’t argue.

 

* * *

 

 

Base of operations was Amy’s bedroom. She had a small room to herself on the top floor, just big enough to fit a desk, two bookshelves, and a twin-sized bed. It was cluttered but clean, and Jake bypassed Amy’s lovingly curated collection of books and went straight for the knick knacks on her desk. Amy huffed and reached for a pad of paper.

 

“Where do you even find these?” he asked, petting a small furry cat figurine with one finger. Amy looked up from where she was ruffling through her desk drawers. 

 

“That’s one’s from the corner store. Her name’s Marie.”

 

“Oh-kay,” Jake said. “You’re such an old lady. Wait.” His finger froze. “This isn’t real cat fur, is it?”

 

“Of course not! I don’t think.”

 

Jake turned away from the cat nonetheless and picked up a small robot instead. It was haphazardly made from wire and paper, and he was gentle in picking it up.

 

“Okay!” Amy said, straightening up. In her hands were a small notepad and a pack of gel pens. “Let’s get to work.”

 

Jake put the robot down and fell onto the bed with a bounce. “Can we tape the paper to the wall and pretend it’s a blackboard?”

 

Amy grinned, and surprised him by tearing pages from her notebook. “Let’s do it!” She looked at him for a moment, as if she were deciding on something, and held out her gel pens. “Which colour do you want?”

 

Jake grinned back and took a blue pen.

 

* * *

 

 

An hour later, the wall bordering Amy’s bed was covered in paper and tape. They frowned over lists and charts and one crude map of the house until Jake suggested they get proactive.

 

“Real detectives get their answers by interrogating people.”

 

Amy thought it was a  _ great _ idea, and she smiled about it in a way that made Jake warm and fuzzy on the inside.

 

“One of us can be the good cop, and the other can be the bad cop, and  _ ooh, _ maybe we can interrogate them in the laundry room? We have one of those light bulbs that hang from the ceiling down there -”

 

“And I can hit it out of the way when they refuse to talk.”

 

“ _ Nice _ .”

 

The two of them made their list of suspects - all Amy’s brothers - on their faux-blackboard, and then copied it down onto makeshift notebooks they made by stapling construction paper together.

 

“If you fold it really well, you can sorta do a cool notebook flip,” Jake discovered.

 

“Sweet.”

 

There were eight Santiago children. Seven of them were not Amy. Of those seven, six were home. In the end, of those six, three were deemed Highly Suspicious.

 

“You can’t blame someone for a robbery just because they said they’d light your books on fire if they could,” Jake said when they were back in Amy’s room again, updating their suspect list. The interrogations didn’t go as planned - it turned out that Jake was too short to swat the light bulb. They had to change tactics, in the end, but Jake didn’t want to talk about it.

 

“It’s called motive, Jake. Now we just need to catch him in the act.”

 

“You think we’re gonna find Alex burning books in the house?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Jake narrowed his eyes at her but circled Alex’s name in red marker nonetheless. “Let’s go over everyone else,” he said.

 

“Ben seems clean, and he says his bedroom door was open all evening last night and he  _ says  _ he heard no one snooping.”

 

“Can we trust him?”

 

Amy nodded seriously. “He’s the oldest. I think we can.”

 

Jake bounced slightly on Amy’s bed. Amy eyed her covers as they slipped slightly. “And what about Robert?” he asked.

 

“Shifty. He likes pranks that aren’t funny and he likes to hide our stuff when he’s bored.”

 

“A repeat offender?”

 

“Exactly.”

 

Jake looked down at his list again. “There’s one more that stuck out to me - Luke.” Amy nodded again. Luke, at two years old, was the youngest Santiago. They questioned him in the living room while he has his snack, and he got soggy cracker bits all over Jake’s hands.

 

“He doesn’t listen, he goes where he’s not allowed, and he annoys me whenever I’m reading.”

 

“Sounds pretty criminating.”

 

“ _ Incriminating.” _

 

“Right, that. We’re still gonna need more info, though.”

 

Amy took a breath, steeled her shoulders, and slid open her closet doors. She turned back to Jake with a telescope in her hands and a proud look on her face. “We’re going on a stakeout!”

 

* * *

  

They had the telescope and their notes, and a prime stakeout location - the stairwell leading downstairs, in line of sight of two out of three suspects. 

 

“We’re gonna need a tape recorder for evidence or else mom will never believe us.” Mrs Santiago would act as the judge in the trial, _ obviously. _ Amy was set on taking the matter to the highest power.

 

“Do you have one?”

 

“No, but Ben does.”

 

“Will he let us use it?”

 

“Maybe if we tell him we’re gonna use it to practice our singing? We don’t need any moles.”

 

“Good idea. And maybe later we can  _ actually  _ practice our singing on it.”

 

“If we have time left over after we catch the crook. I got a new CD for my birthday!”

 

“Sweet.”

 

Amy scooped up her telescope and Jake grabbed their evidence notebooks, and they padded across the carpeted hall for Ben’s room.

 

“Remember,” Amy said. “Not a word about you-know-what.”

 

Jake pretended to zip his lips shut. Amy nodded and raised her fist to knock on Ben’s door.

 

“Amy, do you want lunch?” Jake didn’t hear Mrs Santiago coming up the stairs. Amy jumped; she didn’t hear her either.

 

Amy looked to Jake. Jake looked back and raised his eyebrows. “I guess we can take a break.” Jake nodded.

 

Mrs Santiago turned to Jake. “Jake, honey, are you looking for Nicholas?”

 

“No, today I’m helping Amy with something.”

 

“Oh? What are you two up to?”

 

“It’s top secret,” Amy said. “Actually, can we eat lunch on the stairs today?”

 

“Why?”

 

“It’s a  _ secret _ .”

 

“Lunch is in the kitchen and in the kitchen only.”

 

Amy put her telescope back in her room. “Fine, but we’re gonna have to eat quick,” she told Jake. “Justice can’t wait!” She ran down the stairs and her footfalls rang through the house. “By the way, mom, did you read the book I told you to read yet?”

 

“Not yet, honey, I haven’t had time.”

 

Amy’s face hardened in the way it was in the backyard, and she stomped down the hall without turning back to see if Jake was following.

 

They spent lunch at the kitchen table, eyeing the Santiago boys over bites of ham sandwiches. They learned nothing new, but Amy did finally smile again after Jake spilled mustard all down his shirt. 

 

(A win.)

 

* * *

 

  

They couldn’t get their hands on Ben’s tape recorder, in the end.

 

“He’s being such a butthead today,” Amy said. She plopped down onto the carpeted stairs beside Jake, who was setting up the telescope beside their pile of notes.

 

“Looks like you’re gonna have to write  _ really _ fast.” 

 

“Good thing it’s one of my talents.”

 

“Weird, but in this case, useful.”

 

Amy beamed. Jake secured the telescope’s tripod and squinted through the lens. He couldn’t see a thing downstairs, but he  _ could  _ see into the neighbor’s house when he tilted it out the window.

 

“By the way, thanks for helping me today, instead of playing video games with Nick,” Amy said. Jake’s head snapped up, and he looked at her in surprise.

 

“Are you kidding? This is so much fun! You should totally come hang out with us sometimes. Obviously, we’d have to overlook the fact that you’re a  _ total nerd _ and all, but yeah. Come hang out with us.”

 

Amy smiled. “Thanks. I will.” Downstairs, there was a cheer as Alex’s video game character died.

 

“What are we gonna do if we don’t learn anything from our stakeout?”

 

“Sit on the couch and mope?”

 

“Mm. I like sitting on the couch.”

 

A rumble of mutters came from the boys. Amy tapped Jake’s arm and he nodded at her. Amy picked up her pen and scribbled their conversation.

 

“I’m not getting much,” she whispered to him. 

 

Jake squinted through the telescope. “If only I could read lips.”

 

“Ugh, I know, what a  _ great _ skill that would be.” Amy’s pen dug into the paper so hard it was left grooves. 

 

“What if -”

 

“Hey, Amy!” Jake and Amy jumped. It was Alex, from downstairs. Amy scrawled his words down in green gel pen with renewed vigor. “You guys aren’t as quiet as you think you are.”

 

“Give me my book back and we’ll stop bothering you!” She didn’t look up from her notes.

 

“One, I don’t have it, and two, I’m  _ really _ good at ignoring you. I just wanted you to know something.”

 

“What?”

 

“You suck.”

 

Amy’s pen stopped and her head snapped up. She stuck her tongue out at him. Jake laughed lightly.

 

“Hey, Jake,” Nick called without turning away from the screen. “We have an extra controller, come play.”

 

“Maybe later, guys. We’re not done yet.”

 

“Ooh, Jake’s helping his  _ girlfriend _ .” Alex was still out of the round, and his controller lay on the couch, forgotten. 

 

“Jake, don’t date our sister, that’s gross.”

 

Amy jumped up so quickly Jake was afraid she’d go flying off the stairs. “We’re not - you’re -  _ we’re solving a crime  _ -”

 

Jake grabbed her by the arm. “Come on, if you don’t give them attention they’ll stop.”

 

“Has your mom advice ever worked for you?”

 

“Sometimes.”

 

Amy followed him up the stairs anyways. She stomped up loudly, clutching her telescope so tightly that Jake was afraid she’d dent it.

 

“Hey, maybe we can do a raid next,” he said as they entered the living room. Amy’s shoulders didn’t loosen at his suggestion. 

 

“That sounds fun, but we don’t have enough manpower for that.” She fell into an armchair heavily, as though her muscles had stopped working.

 

“Well, I’m not gonna rest until we find your book. We’ll go through the house again, and interrogate everyone even better this time, and -”

 

“Jake.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Just sit down.”

 

Jake shrugged. “Alright.”

 

He bounded up and threw himself on the overstuffed couch.

 

“Ow, holy hell -” His legs landed on the soft pillows, but something sharp and hard dug into his back. He reached between the cushions underneath him and pulled out the offending object. 

 

“ _ Little Women, _ ” he read. 

 

Amy bounced off the armchair. “You found it!”

 

Jake sat up and grinned at her. “I found it? I found it!”

 

Amy high-fived him and took the book. “Oh, thank God. I was afraid it’d be late and they’d fine me, and I’d have to use my own allowance to pay, and then I couldn’t go to the movies this weekend.”

 

“I basically saved your life here!”   
  


“You didn’t, but thank you.”

 

“We much such great partners.”

 

“ _ The best. _ We should start our own detective agency.”

 

“Um,  _ duh. _ We’d make so much money you wouldn’t have to worry about your allowance.”

 

Amy nodded at him happily. She was no longer bouncing on her toes, and the almost electric energy from their hunt was subsiding. The adrenaline was muting in Jake, too, and for the first time in hours he didn’t know what to do. 

 

(What  _ did _ Amy do in her spare time, other than read? He never asked.)

 

“Um, so I guess we’re done.”

 

“I guess so.”

 

Neither of them moved. 

 

“So,” Amy’s voice trailed off. Downstairs, there was another sharp hoot from one of the boys.

 

Jake cleared his throat. “They’re loud.”

 

“Yeah. And fun.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“So, I guess you’re gonna go join them now? I mean, we found my book.”

 

“And now you have to go return it.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“And I hate the library.”

 

Amy made a face and clutched her book closer to her chest, but said nothing. More whoops came from the basement.

 

“You know,” Jake began. “We might as well make use of our detective stuff while we still have it out.”

 

“You have another mystery?”

 

“Kinda? My friend Gina - you know her - she’s barely hung out with me, like,  _ all  _ summer, and like, not that I care, but I’m worried someone else is gonna replace me as her best friend and -”

 

Amy nodded. “Say no more.” Her expression was serious and she looked very much like Mrs Santiago in that moment. 

Jake’s face loosened. “Great! Cool. I’ll tell you the whole story on the way to the library.”

 

“Okay! And while we’re there, I could recommend you some books.” 

 

Amy looked hopeful and Jake hesitated. He hadn’t cracked open a book in almost six weeks.

 

He broke. 

 

“Maybe something  _ really _ short.”

 

“Fine.” Amy had a smile tugging on her lips as the pair walked to the back door, where they threw off their shoes that morning. As Jake slipped on his sneakers without untying the laces, Amy smeared sunblock on herself. She handed the tube to Jake.

 

“It’s not even that far! We won’t be out long enough to get burned!”

 

“If you’re gonna be my partner, you’re gonna have to take care of yourself. I don’t need any weaklings on my team.”

 

Jake grinned and took the tube. “Okay, partner,” he said. “Whatever you say.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shrugging emoji


End file.
